The humble Trabant – a small saloon car of East German manufacture – first came to prominence in rock when one was featured on the front of U2's acclaimed Achtung Baby album (pictured right). The Trabant was also used in the video for the huge hit single 'One'. Trabants then became a feature in the stage design for the Zoo TV tour that took its name from the Achtung Baby track, 'Zoo Station' and the Zooropa album that followed hard on its heels. The tour, which enjoyed a number of different phases, in its entirety encompassed almost 160 gigs, and was seen by close to 5.5 million people.

The Trabants used in the original album photograph and on the tour were brightly painted, in a psychedelic pop-art style. Two of the cars will be on display at the RDS, in what will be their first Irish appearance in over a decade!

The Trabants will be a special feature at the major exhibition of musical instruments and equipment which is scheduled to take place this weekend, under The Music Show banner.

For those with an interest in the visual side of rock and pop music, The Music Show will also feature a superbly constructed special exhibition of rock photography, with images from the Hot Press archives displayed in a theatre-style setting.

Also on exhibition at The Music Show will be:

* a remarkable series of shots of luminaries of the 1960s Dublin beat scene, taken by Kate Horgan;

* the Bill Graham Gallery, a tribute to the great Hot Press writer that accompanies a fascinating exhibition of Hot Press covers from over the years;

* the HMV Inspirations Gallery, featuring 28 of the 'My Inspiration' images in which successful stars choose the song and lyric that most inspired them. Bob Dylan is the 100th artist to feature in the series, and he will be among the images featured at the Music Show.

The Music Show will also feature two masterclasses/panels on Music and Rock Photography – one, on Saturday 4th October, delivered by the Chairman of the Irish Professional Photographers Association, Mick Quinn, and the second, on Sunday 5 October, featuring Graham Keogh of Hot Press, whose recent cover images include shoots with The Blizzards and Lisa Hannigan; Naomi McArdle, whose blog Off Her Rocker is one of the highlights of hotpress.com; and musician and photographer Dave Hingerty, who has drummed with The Frames and Josh Ritter, among others, and is founder of the Irish Drum Academy. Dave is known for his remarkably evocative style of photography.